250 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIF. 



larly in connection with the parasites of the copper- 

 lieaded snake. We have just received a copy of a 

 very important paper by him, contributed to the 

 Royal Society of Victoria, and reprinted from their 

 Transactions, on "Transverse Sections of Petioles 

 of Eucalyptus, as Aids in the Determination of 

 .Species," 



We are pleased to draw the attention of our 

 microscopical readers to Mr. Chas. H. Hesketh- 

 Walker's " Price List of Microscopical Specialities 

 and Materials" (12 Church St., Liverpool). 



Nos. 5 and 6 of the Proceedings of the London 

 Amateur Scientific Society contain articles by Pro- 

 fessor Boulger, Professor Blake, and Messrs. J. D. 

 Hardy, A. M. Davies, A. H. Williams, and G. W. 

 Butler. 



The Liverpool Geological Society is one of the 

 oldest of its kind in England. We have just received 

 the "Proceedings" of its thirty-two Sessions (edited 

 by Mr. H. C. Beasley). It contains papers (chiefly 

 on local geology) by Dr. Ricketts, Messrs. Beasley, 

 T. M. Reade, L J. Fitzpatrick, G. H. Morton, E. 

 Dickson, P. Holland, W. G. Clay, and others. 



The '* Proceedings of the Geologists' Association" 

 for July and August, are as full of interesting and 

 practical papers as usual, which is saying all one can. 



Mr. F. Pugh has brought out an "Air-ball 

 Cushion-tyre," for which he claimed the possibility 

 of storing in the tyre a certain amount of spring force 

 to come in action when required. 



We confess to a weakness for book catalogues. 

 It is delightful to run over lists of good books one 

 cannot afford to buy. Pickering and Chatto's 

 monthly " Leaflet " is delightful, with its fitting notes 

 on rare or extraordinary old books. Messrs. 

 Dulau's " Catalogue of Nat. Hist. Books " is another 

 more than well worth perusing. 



The last number of the " Essex Naturalist " is to 

 hand, crowded as usual with abundant natural history 

 materials relating to Essex. Among others is an 

 interesting discussion on t!ie Boulder Clay in that 

 county, led ofi" by W. H. Dalton. 



" Stammering : its Nature and Treatment," by 

 Emil Behnke, is published in paper covers cheaply, 

 by T. Fisher Unwin. It is one of the best, briefest 

 and most thoughtful essays on this subject we have 

 read. 



Dr. Riley's brochures on "Insect Life" are 

 regularly placed before the public. Every number 

 is marked by careful, and diligent work, good paper, 

 clear print, in short, the perfection almost of scientific 

 periodical literature. 



Geologists interested in river valley gravels and 

 flint implements, should read Prof. Prestwich's paper 

 (read before the Geological Society) on " The age, 

 formation, and successive drift stages of the valley of 

 the Darent," with remarks on the paleolithic imple- 

 ments of the district, and on the origin of the chalk 

 escarpment. 



The Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian 

 Society, have issued their Report for 1890-91. It 

 contains papers describing charming Cornish excur- 

 sions, the President's address, one on John Ralfs by 

 E. D. Marquand ; others on Coleoptera, Flints (by 

 J. B. Cornish), the Diptera of West Cornwall (by 

 C. W. Dale), etc. 



One of Dr. Riley's most important papers (pub- 

 lished by the U.S. Department of Agriculture) is to 

 hand, entitled "Destructive Locusts: a popular 

 consideration of a few of the more injurious Locusts 

 (or grasshoppers) of the United States, together with 

 the best means of exterminating them." 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Black Scoter breeding in Britain. I 

 believe that it is generally stated by Ornithological 

 writers that the Black Scoter {Oidemia nigra) has not 

 been known to breed in the British Isles. It will be 

 a novel, and interesting fact,. therefore to record that 

 a brood of seven of this duck was found early in 

 September by Mr. Chas. Fowler on the Earnley 

 Marshes, about six or seven miles distant from 

 Chichester. The Rev. H. D. Gordon, the rector of 

 Harting, and author of that, to naturalists especially, 

 pleasurable book " The History of Harting," to whom 

 I communicat'^d this noteworthy discovery, has writ- 

 ten the following notes, which will it give additional 

 interest to the readers of Science-Gossip. The 

 southward breeding of the Black Scoter, which has 

 only been observed of late years, is a matter which 

 tends to the enrichment of our foreshores in their 

 fauna. The black negresses amongst the ducks (the 

 only part not black is the orange ridge of the upper 

 mandible, making it look like a coot's) have been 

 gradually coming south ; but it may be assumed that 

 this is the first record of the common or black 

 scoter nesting amongst us. In Yarrell's time the 

 "black duck "bred in high northern latitudes, and 

 generally arrived on Sussex shores in winter. 

 Curiously enough Saunders (p. 454), says " Without 

 special reference to the .Scoters, advantage may be 

 taken to remark upon the perceptible increase that 

 has taken place in the numbers of various species of 

 ducks, which breed in the British Islands since the 

 passing of the Wild Fowl Protection Act in 1876." 

 Saunders' admirable "Manual of British birds" 

 (Gurney and Jackson, 1889) may henceforth include — 



